Mechanical hem marker



Nov. 17, 1953 G. F. HALPIN ET AL 2,659,147

MECHANICAL HEM MARKER Filed Jan. 22, 1949 I IIUIUI ll 9%m ATTORNEY f 53' P1696. mvsmgogfi 2 Patented Nov. 17, 1953 'T z:

MECHANICAL HEM MARKER George F. Halpin and Edward Lazarofl, New Haven, Conn.; said Lazaroff assignor of onefourth to Irving Lazaroff, New Haven, Conn.

' Application January 22, 1949, Serial No. 72,132

ample, as ladies skirts, coats, or any other gar ment to which it is adapted, being hung or fitted, so that it will be of even length all around, and has for an object to provide a simple and improved device whereby at any given points around the skirt a series of pins may be inserted, all at an equal height from the fioor to indicate the hemline.

Another object is to provide a device of this character by means of which a fold is formed in the skirt and the pin inserted in this'fold by a simple and single operation.

Although it is described in the following description in connection with skirts, it will be understood it may be used for marking any garment for which it is adapted.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, we have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a, part of this specification. It is, however, to be understood the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction and arrangement shown, but may embody various changes and modifications'within the scope of the invention.

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the device;

Fig. 2 is a. side view looking from the left of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the pin-setting device;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view thereof showing the parts in position for forming a fold in the skirt and inserting the pin in this fold;

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section on an enlarged scale through the pin-feeding hopper taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is a face view of a portion of a skirt showing pins applied thereto.

The device comprises a base and an upright bar or stick I l which preferably has a measuring scale 12 on the rear side thereof. Mounted for vertical adjustment on this bar is a device for setting pins in a ladys dress or suit skirt at a given height from the floor, so that the skirt can be hemmed all around at a uniform length or height from the floor. This device comprises a supporting member I3, in the present case a plate formed of sheet metal secured on the bar H by means of generally U-shaped straps l4 embracing the bar so that the device can be adjusted up and down on the bar, and secured in adjusted positions by a. clamping screw l in one of the straps. The height may be determined and set for any given length of skirt by means of .a pointer 16' or any other mark on the back of the plate 13 by] the side of the scale '2. Mounted on the front of 7 Claims. (01. 33-9) the plate I3 is a vertically slidable member or slide I! held for up and down sliding movement by vertical slots l 8 in this slide and headedstuds l9 extendingthrough these slots and secured to the plate [3. This slide [1 is normally held in its upper position by a spring 20 secured at one end, as at 2|, to the slide and at its other end 22 to. the plate [3. g

Mounted at the upper front side of the plate [3; is a reservoirand feed'hopper 23 for pins 24,. which are preferably headless pins, the top of this; holder or hopper having a tapered or V-shaped recess 25 with a feed or guide slot or passage 26 leading to a passage 21 to which the pinsdro'p one by one and in successionthrough the guide passage 25, to a position in front of alongit'udinally slidable plunger 28 in alignment with the passage 21, and mounted in a suitable guide'housing' 29 also mounted on the plate IS. The passage 21 and the plunger are slightly larger than the diameter of the pins and the width of the feed passage 26, as shown in Fig. 5, although this difference is exaggerated in the drawing, so as'to prevent the plunger lifting out of .the passage 21 into the feed passage26; in other words, to retain the plunger inthe passage 21 in alignment withthe pin to be driven. The outer end of the block 23 is provided with an exit opening 30in alignment with the passage 21 for exit of the pin being driven, and in front of this opening is a skirtebending plate 3lsecured to the front of the block 23. This plate projects from the left-hand edge of the block as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 and is bent to a reverse curve, as shown at 32 and 33 in Fig. 4, in front of the pin outlet opening 30' to provide atapered or sort of V-shaped upright recess 34, and the opposite'sides of this folded portion are slotted or recessed, as shown at 35in Figs. 2 and 3, in front of the exit opening for the pins.

Mounted on the back of plate I3 is an upright lever or arm 36, in the present case a flat strip of metal pivoted at its lower end to the plate 13 at 37, and its backward movement is limited by an adjustable stop screw 38 threaded in the plate !3 and which is engaged by the lower end of the arm 36 to limit'its backward movement as shown in Fig. 2. It is normally in a backwardly inclined position as shown in this figure, and at its upper end is provided with a laterally andforwardly extending fiat lug or finger 39 provided with a notch 40 which, when the'arm-and finger are'in their forward position with the front edge of this finger in the recess 34 of the guide 33,'is in alignment .With the pin outlet 30 andvth'e notches 35.

Extending forwardly from'this arm or lever 36 above the hinge pivot 31 is a rod or screw" 41 3 passing through both plates [3 and I1, this screw being secured to the lever or arm 36. At the forward side of the plate 13 it extends through an upright elongated notch or slot 42 in the lower end of the slidable plate or slide l1, so that as this slide I1; is shifted downwardly the top edge of this slotornotch.Twill engage the rod or screw 4| and swing the upper end of the arm 36 and the finger 39 forwardly for a purpose presently; to be described.

The plunger 28 is operated by a flexible wire #3- in a flexible spirally wound sheath lgconnected at its free end to an operating knob 45, this wire passing through a sleeve 46 molmtedt ma 5 891? grip 41 secured to the end or the sheathing 4d. and between this grip and theknob-Hr wirefiitis surrounded by a coil spring 48. Pnojeoting downwardly from the plunger 28, and through an elongated slot. n theunder si e f, h a in 25, isain isl'running icamiplateifljmounted onfthej top of the nag 1.1; Thisfoam'include's' a. downwardly n lined portion; 51. a a. strai ht ho iz ntal portion iiat he' oni'o the" nclined portion;

The operation s as ollow m perati n. the plate l'3is' set'on thebar' I"! at'the' desired height above. the floor which. may, be det rminediby the scale fans, th ow l6. Then it issot again t,

the skintindioatedatj bei g fitted and as'wory h person for whom itisibeingjmeasur d so thatiit'silower edgefis betweenthe" reverse curve: or backing el ment 311 33] and the forward free. edge of the lugiorfinger 39; as shown by the br ksn'linesi ig; Then the perator pr s es the. op rat ng knob; .5, inwand v. ich. m y be done, readily by. meansyorg tnejth mb against the endf of this kn'ob andilwitn the, finger'grips 4.15 restin'ggqn the inside. of the, first and second fingers;- Thi's,throughthejflexible wire 43shifts the plunger 28, to th'efleftgas' viewed in Fig. 1'. Qh befi stmovement oi't sp n erto the; left it carries, with: it' he P 111 hfbv un ng. n the inclined jportionj 511 of the? cam "forces the; slide dow wardly: i for es; bej orew'f. or. pin? 41- downwardly ns j he upperv d: the arm; 35.ffr.wa d1v ab t: h piv t .1: This, swings the finger- 35f forwardly: against the th' k rt 3for.cjing it into the openlsidefofjthe. concave, reverse; bend, '33., or that. isfi'nt'q the; ta..- pered recessfl', as ,showniinEig; 4; andthus roljds'. thejskirt' around thejree; end ed e, of "the lug or finger 3,9, as shownjin'this figurefgand' the fold. is. alignment. with the pin, outlet; opening 311; Then. continued forward movement of. the plunger 28 causes it..to,engag6 the pin124ai inthe: passage, 7J1,v the length and position ofthe plunger 28being so determined thatgit does not? engage this pin. or at least does not"shift 'itsfl point to therecess34,untilthelever armifijias been shifted'forwardly to, the, position or Fig; 4. to .form the 'fold in the, skirt, Thenasitlie plunger; continuesto move. forwardly it forces; this' 'pin outwardly through the opening. 'ampass'ing, it;

through. the slots; 35, and, 4 0. andl'the'r'e'foref through. the oppositefsidesi of the rum; in the] skirt; as: it1isfolded aboutthe edge or the finger 3.9. The; pin is..shown:in .thislposition in,Eight and is indicatedlby the numeral 24b. During: this-latter-movementpfthe, plunger& the 49,- connected to thisgplunger. ridesv on.the horizontal portion 52. of-,the--cam. at thetop vof the slide and. thus retains the iskirtdolding finger, ore lug 3QEi113 hi$TQP mQk Ase-the Y perator: the sr l as s the kn b/ so that the slide I1 is released and the arm 36 and the finger 39 swing back to the normal position of Fig. 2, releasing the skirt with the pin in it. Withdrawal of the plunger permits another pin to drop from the feed hopper 25 and the feed passage 2 Moths-passageway 21;, andto. a position inmerit of the plunger me another} pin-setting operation. Now the girl Wearing the skirt turns a, short distance to bring a new portion of the skirt into position between the finger 33 and the reveisecurve or backing member 33, or the whole device can be; shiftedf on the floor to a new position whilethe ginl remains stationary. The latter operatipn iapneferred, as where the girl shifts she may change her position so as to change the position of the skirt, causing variation in the marking of the skirt. After the device or the skirt has been shifted to the new position, the device is again operatediby means of ,the knob 45, asdeseribed to set a new pin. If'thisfoperation is performed at intervals entirely aroundv the skirt, a series of these pins is set at a uniform height above the'fioor' entirely around the skirt forming a complete series of markings whereby the skirt can be made of a uniform length Two of these pins set in the skirt are shown in Fig.6..

Themaga'zine'can be made to hold enough pins to completely mark'one or more garments. With this feed and. the plunger operation for setting the pins there. is no individual handling of pins necessary. 7

These pin markers are a distinct advantage over the old method. of marking with chalk or powder,- as the chalk or powder rubs off, andfthe skirt maybe folded and'the'pins easily set, by a single operation of" the plunger knob.4'5f. That is,

a single pressure of theplun'ger closes the folder,

insertsa pin,' and onrelease offpressure the folder automatically opens to release the fabric, the plunger'ret-urns "to driving position andv another pin automatically'falls intofdriving position.

Having thus set forth the nature ofv our invention, we claim:

1'. A hem marker camprisingv a, base andv an. upright bar mounted thereon, asupport, means mounting thegsupport on the bar'for adjustment along the bar. and' securing it'in difie'rent adjusted'positions, a; forming means including a backing, member mounted, on. the support providedi'with an. upright recess, an. arm pivoted to the support and carrying. a. finger providecl' with anupright free edge'mov'ableinto the recess to form an uprightffold. in afskirt around the edge ofsai'clj'finger', fa horiiont'al' pin. guide mounted on the" support adjacent and atone side of said forming, means, a plunger, movable, snag the guide for inserting a pin horizontally throughthe upright fold while. it is' held. in the forming means; and meansimountedf -on the support. for operating the folding. armto shift. the'free edge,

toffolding, position in the recess to form afold. and thenshiftthen-longerv toinserta pin through thisj folldi.

2f Qmarke'r. comprising a. supporting basearidan. upright: bar carried thereby, asupport, meansmounting the sup-port on the bar, for ad-- justinent'. along the bar and securing it in difieren't adjusted positions, a. forming-- means on-.thesupport including a strip bent to-form'. a. tapered opensidedupright recess, an armpivoted to-the support and carrying a finger provided with afree edge movable'into said recess 'to form'therewith -an,\ uprightfo1 d.;in-a skirt aroundthe edge of. said. finger, saidstrip. being provided. with: aligned-transverse; recesses in? the sides,- of; said forming recess and the edge of the finger being provided with a recess which is in alignment with the other recesses when it is in the folding position, a horizontal pin guide mounted on the support in alignment with said recesses, a plunger movable along said guide to pass a pin horizontally through said recesses and the upright skirt fold in the folding means, and means on the support for operating the pivoted arm to make a fold in the skirt and then operate the plunger to insert a pin transversely through this fold.

3. A hem marker comprising a base and an upright bar mounted'thereon, a support, means mounting the sup-port on the bar for adjustment along the bar and securing it in different adjusted positions, a, forming means mounted on the support including a member provided with an upright open recess and a movable member having an upright free edge movable into the recess to form an upright fold in a skirt about said edge, a horizontal pin guide at one side of said forming means, a feed reservoir for headless pins including a feed guideway for the pins leading from the reservoir to said pin guide, a plunger movable along said pin guide to feed a pin horizontally therein point forward and insert it transversely through the fold in the skirt while it is in the forming means, and means for operating the folding means to form a fold in the skirt and then operate the plunger to insert a pin transversely through this fold.

4. A hem marker comprising a base and an upright bar mounted thereon, a support, means mounting the support for vertical adjustment on the bar and securing it in adjusted positions, a folding means for a fabric garment including a backing member mounted on the support and provided with an upright open sided recess, an upright arm pivoted to the support, a forwardly projecting upright finger on the arm located to move into the recess in the backing member to fold the fabric into an upright fold in the recess about the edge of said finger, means mounted on the support for inserting a pin horizontally and transversely in the folded fabric while it is held in said recess including a horizontal guide passage adjacent the backing member, a plunger movable along said passage to insert the pin, a slide on the support, means connecting the slide with the pivoted arm for operating this arm, a cam means mounted on the support and con nected with the plunger for operating the slide, and means on the support for operating the plunger.

5. A hem marker comprising a base and an upright bar mounted thereon, a support, means mounting the support for vertical adjustment on the bar and securing it in adjusted positions, a folding means for a fabric garment including a recessed backing member mounted on the support, an upright arm pivotally mounted on the support, a folder mounted on the arm including a member provided with an upright edge movable into the recess in the backing member to fold the fabric about said edge, a reservoir for a plurality of headless pins mounted on the support, means mounted on the support for feeding independent pins from the reservoir and inserting them in the fabric folded about said edge, a manually operated flexible operating means for the pin feeding and inserting means, and a connection between the pin feeding and inserting means and the pivoted arm mounted on the supportfor shifting the folder to folding position.

6. A hem marker comprising a stationary base forming a support, an upright bar carried and supported solely by and extending upwardly from said base, a device for setting marking pins in a ladys dress comprising a supporting member, guide means mounting said member for vertical adjustment on the bar, means for securing the supporting member in different adjusted positions on the bar, folding means mounted on the supporting member comprising relatively movable jaw members including upright shaping means to engage opposite sides of a skirt between them for forming a series of laterally spaced upright folds in the skirt, a holder provided with a reservoir for a plurality of loose pins mounted on the supporting member at one side of the folding means, means mounted on the supporting me. her to transfer individual pins one at a time from said holder and insert it horizontally and transversely through a fold in the folding means, and manually operated means on the supporting member connected to the folding means and the pin transferring and inserting means and arranged to operate them in succession to form and retain the series of laterally spaced folds about the skirt and thus locate a series of pins at a given level about the skirt.

'7. A hem marker comprising a stationary base forming a support, an upright bar carried and supported solely thereon, a device mounted on and carried by said bar for forming a series of laterally spaced upright folds in a cloth skirt and inserting a pin transversely in each fold comprising a supporting member, guide means mounting the supporting member for adjustment along the bar and means for securing it in different adjusted positions, a backing member mounted on the said supporting member provided with an upright recess, a movable member mounted on the supporting member including an upright finger movable into the recess on the backing member to fold a skirt over the edge of said finger and form an upright fold in the skirt, a guide means for a pin mounted on the supporting member adjacent the backing member, a reservoir for a plurality of loose pins mounted on the supporting member and provided with a passage for carrying individual pins from the reservoir to the guide means, a horizontally movable plunger in said pin guiding means for inserting a pin horizontally through the upright fold in the skirt while it is held in the backing member by the finger, and manually operated means mounted on the supporting member for operating the movable member to form a fold in the skirt and then operate the plunger to insert a pin through this fold.

1 GEORGE F. HALPIN. EDVIARD LAZAROFF.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 979,758 Greenberg Dec. 27, 1910 1,616,946 Hobbs Feb. 1, 1927 1,931,195 Higgins Oct. 17, 1933 1,979,789 Barrett Nov. 5, 1934 2,014,726 Flood Sept. 17, 1935 2,133,681 Higgins Oct. 18, 1938 2,137,244 Hoffman Nov. 22, 1938 2,145,038 Benton Jan. 24, 1939 2,242,071 Hoffman May 13, 1941 2,446,319 Orthwin Aug. 3, 1948 2,479,190 Wheeler Aug. 16, 1949 

